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Program Seminars
Sunday, April 12
9:30-10:30 & 10:30-11:30
Biology: Why so many kinases and how we are exploring their individual functions
Diane Shakes
In this hybrid lecture/research report, Professor Shakes will discuss why a particular type of enzyme (kinases) are so useful for organisms, how their number has multiplied within eukaryotic genomes, and how the Shakes' lab with a largely undergraduate research team is exploring the function of individual kinases.
Art & Art History: Friction to Function
Michael Gaynes
Friction to Function will be a conversation about the tension between designing for poetics vs. use, the performative vs. the practical and uncertainty vs. efficiency. Using examples from the field of design for disability, we will explore how we design, for whom, and with whom from the prospective of a sculptor.
Government: Is the Senate Undemocratic?
Larry Evans
Many argue that the U.S. Senate is inherently undemocratic because of the small state advantage in representation and widespread use of filibusters and other obstructionist tactics to derail bills. But if we look at actual legislation, roll calls, and other "real world" indicators, is this actually the case?
Philosophy: Is Anything Really Green?
Josh Gert
Before you think about it much, it's easy to believe that objects have colors, and that it's easy to determine what colors they have. But a wrinkled shirt - one that appears very clearly to have just one color - can have lots of different appearances; that's how you can tell it's wrinkled. Not only that; even people with normal color vision will locate very precise colors, like pure green or pure blue, at different points in the visible spectrum. Is one of them right, and everyone else wrong? It turns out to be very hard to defend the idea that anything has any specific color at all. But can something be green without being a specific shade of green? This lecture explores this question, using an analogy between color and shape.
Government: Nuclear Weapons and International Conflict
Jeff Kaplow
Iran is moments away from going nuclear, Russia is launching nuclear weapons into space, and everyone is putting AI in their nuclear command and control. Before we all take cover, we should ask how these events affect the likelihood of international conflict. Do nuclear weapons make us safer? Do they make war more likely? Or do they have any effect at all? This lecture will examine social science research on the role of nuclear weapons in international security, with implications for today's complex international challenges.
Tracy Johnson-Hall
Is variety the “spice of life” as claimed by an 18th century poet? Or does variation increase complexity, confusion, and the possibility of process failure? This lecture strips variation down to its most essential elements to examine how we should think about cause and effect, how to think critically about deciding what changes will generate a desired result, and, ultimately how we should all be running as many experiments as possible – because they work.